The One Who Is Looking For You
The One Who Finds Us
Hey Twig!
Back in my twenties, I worked for a relief and development organization called Food for the Hungry. I traveled internationally quite a bit, and on one trip to Africa, a dear friend suggested we meet up in London on my way home. We planned to stay with her aunt, explore the city, and catch a show.
We agreed to meet at the London airport.
What I didn’t know was that when she arrived, she discovered her passport had expired. So when I landed and walked out into the terminal, I stood there alone—scanning the crowd, searching for her face.
She was nowhere to be found.
Those moments expose something deep within us. The ache of not being known. Or worse—the feeling that no one is looking for you.
I can think of seasons in my life—transitional seasons—where I was in a new place, an unfamiliar space. I wasn’t even sure what I was searching for, I just knew something was missing. I didn’t have my people yet. I stood there, hoping someone would recognize me and say, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
And it didn’t happen.
The Ache to Be Found
Psychiatrist Curt Thompson says,
“We are all born looking for someone who is looking for us.”
That longing doesn’t disappear as we get older. It may grow quieter, more hidden—covered over with competence, busyness, and responsibility—but it’s still there.
We live in a world full of searching.
People search for meaning, identity, belonging, and purpose. Some search through podcasts and books. Some wander coffee shops, scanning shelves. Others bring their kids to church, hoping to find something solid to hold onto. And some are simply tired, wondering if what they’re looking for will ever be found.
Often, we don’t even know what we’re seeking. We just know we’re restless.
Underneath it all is the same human ache:
Is anyone looking for me?
Does anyone truly know me?
Epiphany: A Season of Being Found
Epiphany is the season we’re in now, and Epiphany is about being found.
It’s the light of Christ revealing that God has been searching for you and me all along. And now, we’re invited to become people who carry that light into a searching world.
Into that searching world—and into searching lives—steps Jesus.
In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus and says,
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
And then, surprisingly, he says—twice:
“I myself did not know him.”
That might seem strange since they were cousins. On one level, of course John knew Jesus. But on another level, John is saying: I didn’t know who I was looking for.
John had a calling. He was baptizing people. But he admits he didn’t know who to watch for.
God did.
God tells John,
“The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain—this is the one.”
The One Who Baptizes with the Spirit
In this short passage, Jesus is given many names:
Lamb of God.
Son of God.
Rabbi.
Messiah.
Names matter because names reveal identity.
And here’s one name we don’t often use: Jesus, the Baptizer.
John baptizes with water, but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
Before Jesus ever fills anyone else with the Spirit, He receives the Spirit Himself. The Spirit descends, remains, and abides. From conception to ministry, from the cross to the resurrection, Jesus lives in full communion with the Spirit.
And we are invited to do the same.
“What Are You Looking For?”
After receiving the Spirit, Jesus turns and asks two disciples a simple question:
“What are you looking for?”
They don’t really answer. Instead, they ask,
“Where are you staying?”
Maybe they didn’t know what they were seeking. But Jesus knew they were seeking.
So He says,
“Come and see.”
Then Jesus does something powerful and intimate.
He names Simon.
“You are Simon, and you will be called Peter.”
That’s what Jesus does.
He finds.
He names.
He fills with the Spirit.
And He’s still doing that today.
You Are Already Found
You and I were made to be filled with the same Spirit of love—and then to carry that love into the world.
You may not have everything figured out.
You may not even know what you’re searching for.
You may say, “I don’t even feel like I know God that well.”
But here’s the truth:
God knows you.
In baptism, Jesus places His Spirit within you—not as an idea, not as a metaphor, but as a real, intimate presence.
The Spirit does what the Spirit always does:
Names you beloved
Calls you child
Draws you into community
Shapes you to look more like Jesus
You are not overlooked.
You are not anonymous.
You are not searching alone.
You are already found.
And when we know we are found, everything changes.
A Community of the Called
When we know we’re found, we become people who can look for others. People who notice. People who name goodness. People who trust that even when we don’t fully understand, God is already at work.
This is the community Jesus forms.
Not a community of the certain—but a community of the called.
We’re not fully formed. We’re Spirit-led. We walk together. We keep following Christ. We keep listening to the Spirit—together.
Because the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit is still looking for people.
And He’s still saying,
“Come and see.”
This is what we were made for.
Have a great week, everyone.
